I recently picked up a Pietta Smith carbine and have cast a batch of bullets using the Lyman 518145 mold and have the red plastic cases with the brass insert. I dip lube bullets for my Sharps (Hahn tubes) but wonder how those of you shooting the Smith lube yours. Since the bullet sits so deep it seems like you'd eventually have a lube buildup in the case.
For my daughter's Pietta Smith we shoot the Eras Gone Smith bullet with 32 grains 3F Goex in the hard black plastic tubes. I pressed grommets into the flash holes to extend their lives.
To lube the bullets, I dip the bases in melted lube using needle nose pliers, and then set them on wax paper to cool off. Then we run them through a Lee .515 sizing die.
Looking for some guidance on that as well as how do you prevent powder leakage from the opening in the case.
Prior to loading, we stick a piece of painter's masking tape over each flash hole. Then we fill the cases and stick in the sized, lubricated bullets.
At the range, she plucks off the tape and stick the cartridges nose-down in her cartridge box. I 3D-printed an insert (like the wooden block) for her carbine cartridge box so each cartridge sits in its own cavity so it cannot tip over.
Steve Sheldon
Commander
4th Louisiana Delta Rifles
NRA Certified Muzzleloading Instructor
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